NEER Bikepack to the Beach
Riders enjoy time sitting around a fire after a long day of great riding!
Location: Various start locations: Arlington, MA & Winchester, MA (we’ll time it so that riders can jump into the ride at a location convenient for them - come up from the city, take the train, ride from your home!)
Route: Bikepacking, mixed terrain, plenty of dirt under your tires
Ride Type: Mixed Terrain
Date & Time: Saturday & Sunday, 1-2 August 2026
Distance: ~43 miles for those starting from Arlington, ~37 miles for those starting from Winchester
Price: $65 per person. Must be a NEER member to participate (this keeps the price down for everyone since we don’t have to buy extra insurance, become a member!) The ride is likely to fill up. When there aren’t spots left at camp, we can’t accept further registrations.
Non-Riding family/friend option! See details below.
Description: The NEER Bikepack to the Beach is a weekend two-day and one-night event that covers almost >70 miles of diverse terrain in New England. This ride is equal parts challenge and fun. The event is part bikepacking and part adventure ride.
The route takes fun, playful trails to Marblehead (ice cream and tasty food, anyone?), then riders head north to Winter Park Island, a special campground where riders will camp in a group cove (private from the rest of the campers), a short walk from the beach!
This is a great way to have a full weekend of riding, test your bikepacking setup, enjoy camping with others of similar cycling interests, and share the experience with your friends and family as well.
We’re offering two start locations: Arlington and Winchester with timing such that riders will ride from Arlington, then to Winchester, and then on to camp. With these start locations being convenient to Boston, it’s easy for those without cars to attend this ride.
This is not a catered trip, we’re not bringing stuff to camp for anyone. We’ve found it very effective for riders to take on their first bikepacking trip having to be self-sufficient. Since we’re near civilization, it’s not a problem if one forgets something or doesn’t pack ideally.
Self-sufficiency is important! We are not providing mid-ride support. You are expected to be able to fix mechanical issues or ride with friends who can help each other out.
We’re providing a comprehensive packing list so you know what to bring and are prepared for this and any bikepacking trip. You receive this in your inbox not long after you register (assuming you haven’t already received it). We’re always adding and optimizing the list too!
Photo from a warm 2017 Maneha bikepacking trip fire and post-ride feasting/post-ride food coma Saturday night.
Maneha is the ride that started it all. We first scouted Maneha in 2010. It has evolved over the years and has brought a terrific bikepacking experience to riders of all backgrounds and experience levels together and to cool places. This ride is a close relative of Maneha, the difference being that this ride isn’t catered and Maneha was.
This ride is equal parts challenge and fun.
Route Information
Distance: About 150 miles. 77 miles on Saturday and 79 miles on Sunday. We’ll tell you the specifics of the route as we get closer to ride time.
Territory: Ranges from deep woods to town centers.
Riding Options: We’ve reserved the group campsite area for the whole weekend Saturday through Monday morning. If you want to enjoy camp for longer on Sunday or stick around until Monday, you’re MORE than welcome to enjoy this special spot for all of that time!
The routes we share and timings we suggest are what the “group” will be doing. You are more than welcome to ride from your home to one of the two start locations (Arlington or Winchester) and add distance if you wish after arriving in Salem. The fee for this weekend is paying for your spot in camp and for the shared bikepacking experience.
You are more than welcome to get a lift home from the campground or have someone drop you off so that you can do a partial trip, there’s no shame in getting creative in making this work in your schedule and life!
Significant others/friends who are non-NEER are welcome to join at camp. There is space for cars for anyone who wants to drive, we just need to know if someone will be joining in rather than riding, it’s not a problem and we love it when non-riding family members can enjoy the shared camping as well.
We are not transporting anyone to the start or from the campsite back. There is no support vehicle.
Gear Packing Options: There are no options: if you want it to eat, to sleep on, to wear, you’re carrying it with you! You are expected to have everything you need for a long-day ride on you where it comes to fixing mechanicals. This said, there are stores on the route so one can buy food rather than bring it with. Your choice!
When:
1 & 2 August 2026. Saturday and Sunday. Riders choosing to meet up in Arlington should be ready to roll by 7:55am. Everyone will ride to Winchester Center where there’s overnight parking (details will be shared with all who register).
Grand Depart is in Winchester at 9am.
Sunday’s ride back begins when riders want to get moving. A Super Domestique will accompany those who want to do a group ride rolling at 9am. If riders want to add mileage or get an earlier start, that’s fine. Riders are often up very early at camp and want to get moving.
Where we start & Where we Camp:
Arlington: near the Arlington Reservoir, we’ll share exact meet-up details with all who register.
Winchester: We’ll share details of overnight parking with all who register; there are lots in Winchester that allow this.
We’re camping in a nice campground, Winter Island Park in Salem, MA.
We have campsites reserved together for riders in this campground. NEER buys wood for a fire/fires everyone can enjoy.
There is electricity (not at the campsites, but there are plugs, you won’t want to plug in your phone and walk away). There is potable water, restrooms, and showers for everyone’s use.
Why:
Bikepacking trips are hard to find and it’s nice to have the opportunity to test your equipment, figure out how to pack your bike, and isn’t it fun to get two big days on the bike with nice people also out for the same?
How:
Register at the NEER store!
Questions?Email us at connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com
Who can do this ride?
Any fit and competent cyclist with equipment that meets our minimum requirements and who is willing to abide by basic riding safety rules may participate. The terrain is “playful” meaning you’ll ride paved roads, dirt paths, single track trails, some more technical terrain that any gravel bike can handle, but is beyond what we’d call “gravel.”
"The staff did a remarkable job on a complex event. I can't wait until next year!" - C.B.
Display your location
We will have ALL riders display their location on the route via Life360 (not necessary to pay for an account for this), it helps us know where everyone is. This will take a little more battery life from your cell phone, so a backup battery is essential. AND there is no electricity at camp so you’ll need electricity to last you 2 days!
Non-Riding Significant Other Camping Option / Bringing your Family
Your non-riding spouse or significant other is welcome to join you and all for the weekend at the campsite. That person should register (or you can register for both of you) and mention who is not riding. If someone is joining for the day and not night, it’s not necessary to pay anything, just send an email instead.
Contact Information - You’ll receive a cell number in email
Email us with questions at connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com.
CALL US if you need us to know anything just before the ride start or during the ride at 413-461-7433.
Don’t txt if you need an immediate response, all txt msgs go to our email that we aren’t checking if we’re in front of people at the ride or on our bikes. Ring our phone please with urgent anything!!!
Riding Rules
All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by these Rules. Registering for this ride indicates you have read and accept all of the rules. These make the ride safer and more fun for all.
Proper Bike & Equipment
There are quite a few bikes and setups that work great for bikepacking and gravel riding on terrain you’ll find on this ride. Your choices will potentially impact your speed relative to others. We don’t care how fast/slow you ride, this is up to you, as long as you are on a safe bike with minimum basics and arrive before sunset on both Saturday and Sunday.
Required: A bike with 40mm tires or wider. Mountain, gravel, fat, CX bikes are all acceptable. Ideally, the bike will have 40mm knobby tires or bigger.
Required: Flat pedals or mountain-style pedals should be used, no road pedals/shoes.
Required: A GPS computer with the route loaded ahead of time if you’re riding solo. If you’re riding with a friend group, the group must have 2 GPS computers among members.
Required: Backup battery to charge GPS computer and phone during the ride. (There is no electricity to recharge things at camp.)
Required: Sign-on to Life360 or other service that you share with us so we can see your location you when you’re riding. We’ll share connection info with you in the pre-ride information email.
Required: A bike that’s in safe working order that has been recently tuned and is free of creaking and squeaking. The chain should be lubed just prior to the ride. Squeaky chains and noisy bikes are unacceptable because it means there is something wrong with your bike and more might be wrong.
Required: All of the tools for typical mechanicals. These are on the Gear Checklist you’ll receive when you register. Lots of extra “nice to haves” are on the Checklist too!
Required: Cell phone and a plan to get back to your car in case your bike or body stops working - we cannot offer rides to anyone (per insurance requirements) and there won’t be a vehicle on the route.
Required: Two full water bottles/other vessel with at least this much water at the start of the ride
Required: Front and rear lights (do not need to be turned on if visibility is good but available), reflector on ankle or pedal (this is now required per MA law at dusk and later). Visibility is always a good thing for safety regardless of weather or time of day. Lights are important at camp too!
Nice to have: Extra calories in your pockets to get you to stores where you can buy more.
Change of clothes to wear after the ride at camp and for sleeping so you’re comfy!
